January 15, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



85 



On the Changes of Drainage in the Ohio River 

 Basin. Feank Leveeett, Denmark, 

 Iowa. 



A brief outline of the results of earlier 

 observations on the Ohio and tributaries was 

 followed by a presentation of the results of 

 the writer's studies the past season. The 

 principal topics discussed were as follows : 



1. The extent and probable date of deposi- 

 tion of marine deposits found on the lower 

 Ohio, in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. 



2. Comparison of the probable early drainage 

 systems with the present system. 3. Factors 

 leading to changes of drainage. 4. An in- 

 terpretation of the relative influence of the 

 several factors in producing the changes of 

 drainage which have occurred in the Ohio 

 River basin. In developing this general 

 plan tlie writer described, by means of a 

 map, the present drainage systems of western 

 Pennsylvania and their probable discharge, 

 through northerly outlets, now indicated 

 by present streams, into Lake Erie. The 

 former limit of the northerly drainage was 

 probably along the Panhandle of West 

 Vii'ginia. The old drainage lines were 

 detected by following up the remnants of 

 the fluvial plains. Of the three possible 

 causes of change in drainage systeius, 

 viz, uplift, stream piracy and glaciation, 

 the last named was regarded as most 

 probable. Prof. G. F. "Wright opened 

 the discussion bj'^ objecting to some of the 

 proposed northerly outlets as of insufficient 

 size to carry the volume of water. H. P. 

 Gushing later on suppoi-ted' this objection 

 strongly in the case of the Cuyahoga river. 

 Mr. Leverett replied that the gorge was as 

 large as tliat of the present Ohio below 

 Louisville. M. R. Campbell endeavored, by 

 means of the changes suggested by Mr. Lev- 

 erett, to account for the puzzling phenome- 

 non of Teazes Valley and its boulders from 

 the New River Basin ; but I. C. White, who 

 originally discovered and described Teazes 

 Valley, stated that it could be satisfactorily 



explained by the Mud and Guyandotte 

 rivers, which now partially traverse it. 

 Prof. Orton remarked the depth of the 

 drift in northwestern Ohio, and the debt 

 that geology owed to the drillers who had 

 shown many buried channels in prospecting 

 for oil. The depth is over 500 feet in 

 some channels. The peculiar relations of 

 the Mercer reservoir and the difficulty of 

 explaining it were also touched on. Prof. 

 Shaler emphasized the stability and lack 

 of change in the drainage lines of Ken- 

 tucky and his disbelief that ice had ever 

 crossed the Ohio river, on the ground that 

 water would satisfactorily explain the ob- 

 served phenomena in Kentucky. 



The Society then adjourned until the fol- 

 lowing day at 10 a. m. The fellows were 

 very generally entertained by the resident 

 geologists of Washington during the early 

 evening, and at 8:30 reassembled in the 

 large hall of the Columbian University to 

 listen to the Presidential address of the re- 

 tiring President, Prof. Le Conte, upon 

 the title, ' The Different Kinds of Earth 

 Crust Movements and Their Causes.' 



DECEMBER 30, 1896. 



The Council met at 9 a. m., and the So- 

 ciety at 10. The report of the Council as 

 previously printed and distributed was 

 adopted. A memorial of N. J. Giroux, 

 written by Mr. R. W. Ells, was read by 

 Prof. F. D. Adams. The photograph com- 

 mittee then reported through its chair- 

 man, Mr. G. P. Merrill. 179 views were re- 

 ceived during the year, bringing the total 

 up to 1429. The auditing committee re- 

 ported favorably regarding the Treasurer's 

 accounts. The Secretarj^ announced that 

 the Council recommended a change in 

 the constitution so as to add the Editor to 

 the Council, and some other verbal changes, 

 all of which will be acted on one year 

 hence. The reading of papers was then re- 

 sumed. 



